Jets Take on Another Reclamation Project in Safety Jaiquawn Jarrett

January 1st, 20133:00 pm

Brian Bassett , TheJetsBlog.com

When the Jets added eight players through futures contracts, one stuck out to me in particular aside from some of the names that we’ve heard already — the name of Jaiquawn Jarrett. Jarrett was a second year draft pick for the Eagles in 2011 and was cut by the Eagles this summer. When asked about Jarrett back in September, former coach of the Eagles Andy Reid said simply that he had ‘goofed’ according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“That’s my responsibility. I misevaluated that,” Reid told two reporters after his Wednesday press conference. “I think one of the key things is when you make a mistake for your system that you correct it and you can’t let your ego get in the way of that. You just can’t do it.”

The Jets have tried their hand with more than one reclamation project and it’s worked to varying levels of success. Marcus Dixon was a help, Ellis Lankster has carved out a role for himself and even Aaron Maybin was able to contribute with this team … for a time. On the other hand, there are just as many players like Jarron Gilbert who never really dented the roster.

Jarrett was viewed by many as a reach when the Eagles took him in 2011 and that he was slated to go closer to the third or fourth round based on his foot speed. Jarrett didn’t do much to prove that his speed was a concern once in the NFL and the Eagles were deploying him in a way that didn’t best suit his talents. Jarrett is known as a better player inside the box, but it never really worked for him in Philly.

The Jets can gain a three million dollar cap savings if they cut veteran Eric Smith this offseason. The Jets are going to have to find ways to get younger and cheaper and this is one attempt. Smith and Jarrett are about the same size, and have a similar skill set. With Bush and Allen on the roster and the Jets likely to make a play to keep either one of Bell or Landry, the Jets will need to find a cheap replacement for someone like Eric Smith this offseason. Jarrett might not be living up to his second round billing in Philly, but he might yet be able to contribute in a Big Nickel package or something like that for the Jets. This offseason, beyond honing his special teams skills, Jarrett would be wise to work on his speed as well as his coverage skills if he wants to try and make it through cutdowns for this team.